Stanford holds off Oregon

No. 6 Cardinal hangs on for win, ruins No. 2 Ducks' hopes for national title

Associated Press

Updated 6:58 am, Friday, November 8, 2013

Photo: Tony Gutierrez

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Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty scrambles out of the pocket before passing against Oklahoma in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) ORG XMIT: TXTG115 less

Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty scrambles out of the pocket before passing against Oklahoma in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) ... more

Photo: Tony Gutierrez

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Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan (8) celebrates with tight end Charlie Hopkins (obscured) and guard David Yankey (54) after running for an 11-yard touchdown against Oregon during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Oregon linebacker Derrick Malone (22) sits on the ground. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) ORG XMIT: PAL110 less

Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan (8) celebrates with tight end Charlie Hopkins (obscured) and guard David Yankey (54) after running for an 11-yard touchdown against Oregon during the second quarter of an NCAA ... more

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez

Stanford holds off Oregon

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Stanford, Calif.

Tyler Gaffney ran for 157 yards and No. 6 Stanford hammered No. 2 Oregon for three quarters, then held off a furious final kick by the Ducks to crush their national title hopes for a second straight season, this time with a 26-20 victory Thursday night.

Kevin Hogan ran for a touchdown and played a mistake-free game for Stanford (8-1, 6-1 Pac-12). The Cardinal put on a clinic in how to play keep away from a team that was averaging 55.6 points. Stanford ran for 274 yards and held the ball for 42½ minutes.

Heisman Trophy contender Marcus Mariota was inaccurate and under pressure much of the night, but he threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, sandwiched around a blocked field goal return for a score by Rodney Hardrick, to pull the Ducks (8-1, 5-1) to 26-20 with 2:12 left.

Oregon couldn't recover a second onside kick and Stanford ran out the clock.

Stanford won a three-point game in overtime at Oregon last year to deny the Ducks a chance to play for the national title. It didn't look as if there would be any drama in the return bout on the Farm. Stanford led 17-0 at halftime and added three more field goals by Josh Williamson in the second half.

Oregon looked like dead Ducks, down 26-0 early in the fourth with Stanford hammering away behind Gaffney, who set a school record with 45 carries.

Even after Oregon finally broke the seal with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Mariota to Daryle Hawkins, the Cardinal went on another time consuming drive and attempted a long field goal that would have sealed it.

Instead, the Ducks blocked it, Hardrick scooped and scored from 65 yards out with 5:08 left and suddenly it was interesting.

No. 5 Baylor 41, No. 12 Oklahoma 12: Bryce Petty threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more, Shock Linwood ran for 182 yards and Baylor stayed undefeated. , Baylor (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) scored twice in the final minute before halftime and stretched its school-record winning streak to 12 games since a loss at Oklahoma last November. The Bears are 8-0 for the first time. Even though Baylor came in leading the nation in scoring (64 points per game) and total offense (718 yards per game) — and was outscoring opponents by an average margin of 48 points — many questioned how good the Bears were after getting into November without playing a ranked team. They have now, and they responded with an impressive victory. Oklahoma (7-2, 4-2) has a 21-2 lead in the series, but both losses have come in its last two trips to Floyd Casey Stadium.